at an end, that a new "commission" had come, that a real Reformation was
being set into operation, and that the apostolic Church--the Church of
Christ, the Church of the Spirit--had appeared as though let down from
heaven. He relates how the "Lord raised us [Friends] up and opened our
mouths in this His Spirit," and how "the Light of Christ revealed and
made known to us all things that pertain to salvation, redemption, and
eternal life, needful for man to know," and how through the outpouring
and anointing of the Spirit "the true Church," "the true worship," "the
true ministry" have come again to the world. He makes such exalted
claims as these: we received the pouring out of the spirit upon us; the
gift of God's eternal Spirit was bestowed upon us as in the days of old;
the deep things of God were revealed to us; the Lord Almighty brought us
out of captivity and bondage and put an end to sin and death; {341} the
babe of glory was born in us; we entered into ever-lasting union,
fellowship, and covenant with the Lord, and we were raised from death to
Life. And, finally, he announces the new "commission" in positive words
of glowing faith: "Then having armed us with power, strength, and wisdom
and dominion, according to His mind, and having taught us in all things,
and having chosen us unto His work, God put His sword into our and and
gave us a perfect _commission_ to go forth in His name and authority,
giving us the Word from His mouth what to cut down and what to preserve,
and giving us the everlasting gospel to preach."[9]

In the absolute certainty of his divine "commission," he challenges the
Churches which are defending their authority "with jails and prisons and
whips and stocks and inquisitions--all Cain's weapons"--to a "trial" of
faith and spirit and power, like that on Mount Carmel in the days of
Elijah, "whether it be they or we that are of the true faith and true
worship of God that the apostles were in."[10]

There can be no doubt, I think, that the writer of this "Epistle to the
Reader" in _The Great Mystery_, has come out of the "Seeker" movement, or
that he has "come out" of it only because he believes that he with others
have found what they sought, and are the seed and nucleus of the true,
restored, apostolic Church of God. They refuse absolutely to be called a
sect; and they assume in all their early writings that they are the
restored Church of Christ, though they seldom use that word "Church"
bec